Crinum Lily

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Crinum asiaticum Family: Amaryllidacea

Crinum Lily; Tree Crinum; Poison

Bulb

Synonym (Discarded Name): Crinum

amabileOrigin: Tropical and Sub-tropical Asia

U.S.D.A. Zone: 8b-11 (Minimum 15F)

Growth Rate: Medium

Flowering Months: Year-round in South

Florida with brief respites

Leaf Persistence: EvergreenSalt Tolerance: Medium

Light Requirements: Medium

Drought Tolerance: Medium

Soil Requirements: Wide

Nutritional Requirements: Wide

Potential Problems:Grasshoppers;

caterpillars; Anthracnose

Typical Dimensions: 6 x 6

Propagation: Division; offset; seed

Human hazards: Poisonous

Uses: Container; flowering perennial;

fragrance; landscape; poolside; roadway

Stephen H. Brown, Horticulture Agent

Bronwyn Mason, Master GardenerLee County Extension, Fort Myers, Florida

(239) 533-7513 [email protected]

http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/GardenHome.shtml

Late January, Ft. Myers, Florida

Flowering in April, Ft. Myers, Florida

S. H. Brown

S. H. Brown


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Natural Geographic Distribution

The crinum lily, Crinum asiaticum, is native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has been dispersed widely byhumans and is now cultivated the world over in tropical and subtropical climates.

Morphology, Growth Habit and Reproduction

Crinum lily is an evergreen perennial herb. Several cultivars exist, some with bronze, purple or

variegated foliage. Newly emerged leaves are erect becoming sprawling with age making the plant as

tall as it is broad, often greater than 6 feet tall. The columnar stem-like bulb, about 12 to 15 inches long,

grows mostly above the ground. The leaves are arranged in a rosette. They are flat, strap-like gradually

narrow to a sharp point at the end. They are typically 4 to 5 feet long and 5 inches wide. In most South

Florida gardens, crinum lily flowers almost all year round with brief resting periods. The inflorescence is

an umbel that normally contains from 20 to 30 flowers. It stands between and a little above the foliage

on a strong scape of about 50 to 70 inches tall on healthy plants. Flowers in the inflorescence open from

the outside inward. The flower is radially symmetrical, erect and salver-shaped. It has six pure white, or

striped with claret-red or tinted with rose-purple petals. They are flaring or gracefully rolled back. The

stamens are long and exserted. The flowers are pleasantly fragrance, especially during the night and

morning hours. An umbel is spent of its flowers in approximately three weeks but others are consistently

being produced from the same plant. The scape starts to weakened as the fruit begins to form. The

majority of fruit never come to maturity. If formed, the fruit is irregularly globose.

The inflorescence is an umbel that opens from the outside

inwards. Ft. Myers, late January

The flower is erect and salver-shaped. Ft.

Myers, late November

Stripe claret-red petals. Ft. Myers, Florida

S. H. BrownS. H. Brown

S. H. Brown


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Day 2, Nov 26Day 1, Nov 25 Day 3, Nov 27

Day 10, Dec 4 Day 24, Dec 18 Day 30, Dec 24

Day 39, Jan 2 Day 45, Jan 8 Day 87, Feb 19

Flower and Fruit Development


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Taking a temporary respite from flowering. Plant

growing in light shade. St. Petersburg, early June

Plant growing in medium shade. Orlando, Florida,

mid- April

The young seedlings do not bear flowers for three to four years. The plant commonly reproduces by

suckers and eventually forms an impressive clump. Division of the plant is the preferred method of

propagation. Crinums are distinguished from Amaryllis by their solid scapes and long, salver-shaped

flowers.

A bronze-colored plant. St. Petersburg,

Florida, early June

Panama City, Florida, mid-September

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Planting and Maintenance Guidelines

C. asiaticum is probably the most widely grown crinum in south Florida. It can be planted as far north asPanama City, Florida, but some degree of cold damage, including killed leaves should be expected each

year. It can be used on the edge of ponds and around aquatic gardens. It may be used as a border or

accent plant. Crinum lily shows a remarkable power of multiplication and survival even under the most

unfavorable conditions. It is best planted from spring into fall in full sun or in light to medium shade.

The plant flourishes in a well-drained, moderately moist soil. However, it does well in dry soil where

occasional irrigation during the dry season is recommended.

Crinum lily is susceptible to several insect pests including the lubber grasshopper and the banded green-

house thrips,Hercinothrips femoralis. It takes only a few grasshoppers to cause considerable damage in

a short time. The thrips attacks a wide variety of ornamental plants. Some plants are likely to developAnthracnose leaf spot a fungal disease caused by Colletotrichum sp. This pathogen spreads by spores

that are easily splashed with irrigation water or rainfall but since they are somewhat sticky they do not

easily spread by simple air movement from the wind. Wounding can increase disease severity but it is

not necessary for pathogen entry. The disease begins on the lower leaves with the fungal spots enlarging

and coalescing and eventually killing the leaf from the apex downward to its base. The disease is far less

evident in the spring with minimal rainfall. To keep up appearance, occasional cleaning of the lower

plant is suggested along with the removal of excess suckers.

All parts of the plant can cause severe irritation if ingested. The sap can cause skin irritation.

Irregularly globose fruit.

The columnar stem-like bulbs grow partly above

ground.

Germinating seeds, late November

Suckers at the base of the plant helps it to form a

large clump.

S. H. Brown

S. H. Brown

S. H. Brown

S. H. Brown


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References

Bailey, L. H. 1935. The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. Vol. 1 A-E. The Macmillian Company,

New York

Watkins, J., Sheehan, T. and Black, R. 2005. Florida Landscape Plants: Native and Exotic, Second Edi-

tion. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Click here to view Stephen Browns web page.

Click here for Stephen Browns Florida Landscape YouTube Channel.

Necrosis occurs from the tip downward.Anthracnose leaf spots

Damage caused by banded greenhouse thrips.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provideresearch, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-

discrimination with respect to race, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, martial status, national origin,

political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of

Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. 6/2011.

This fact sheet was reviewed by Peggy Cruz, Lee County Extension Service and Rachel Singletary,

Caloosa Rare Fruit Club and Florida Native Plant Society.


S. H. Brown

Eastern lubber grasshopper feeding on crinum

lily.

S. H. Brown
http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/GardenHome.shtmlhttp://www.youtube.com/user/FloridaLandscape#p/uhttp://www.youtube.com/user/FloridaLandscape#p/uhttp://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/GardenHome.shtml

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Crinum Lily